Bois du Cazier

The Bois du Cazier was coal mine in Marcinelle, Charleroi, Belgium. It was the scene of a mining disaster on 8 August 1956, when 263 men including 136 migrant Italian labourers lost their lives. The site today hosts a woodland park, memorial to the miners, the pit head, an industry museum and a glass museum. The museum is an Anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. [1]

History

A concession to mine was given by royal decree on 30 September 1822. A transcription error caused the name of the site to be changed from Bois de Cazier. After 1898 the site was owned by les charbonnages d'Amercœur and operated by la Société anonyme du Charbonnage du Bois du Cazier. There were two shafts reaching 765 et 1035 mètres. A third shaft, "Foraky", was being dug in 1956. At that time (1955), annual production was 170,557 tonnes for a total of 779 workers, many of whom were not Belgian but migrant workers principally from Italy. On the 8 August 1956, a fire destroyed the mine. Full production resumed the following year.[2] The company was liquidated in January 1961, and the mine closed in December 1967.[1] [3] It was listed as a national monument on May 28, 1990, and opened as a museum in 2002.[2]

Minatori-carbone agreement

The governments of Belgium and Italy signed the Minatori-carbone agreement, (des hommes contre du charbon (fr)), in June 1946. It was men for coal. Italy needed coal to rebuild after the devastation of World War II, which Belgium agreed to supply. Belgian needed men to work in its deep coal mines: Italy agreed to supply 50,000 men. Unemployment in the Mezzogiorno (Southern Italy) was dire and a total of 77,000 workers made the two day train journey between June 1946 and December 1947.

They were housed by the mining companies, which in reality meant they moved into Nissan huts in the now vacated Prisoner of War camps in the region. Some families were there for ten years. [4]

The disaster

The cage on the hoist was 12m high and weighed 4.4 tonnes. They had 8 levels each taking one mining 0.7 m³ wagon which could be loaded with 1360 kg of rock and coal. The mine was 1175 m deep and the hoist ran at up to 17 m/s.[2]

At 8:10 on 8 August 1956, the accidental starting of the hoist motor before the coal wagons had been completely loaded caused electric cables to break starting a fire that consumed the colliery. The cage started moving with two wagons partly in the cage. The overlapping wagons destroyed electrical cables, oil and air pipes in the shaft while they were dragged up the shaft. The oil and the woodwork caught fire. Smoke and poisonous gas spread rapidly through the galleries and the heat destroyed essential installations, especially the hoist cable which made access very difficult. The miners were trapped and died from the heat or smoke inhalation.[4]

The fire killed 262 miners of 12 different nationalities; 95 were Belgian and 136 Italian. 12 workers survived. One of the first rescuers to re-enter the workings was an Italian, who reported tutti cadaveri. These two words are used on the memorial.[1]

The aftermath

The Italian immigration stopped, mine safety regulations were revised all across Europe.[4] The mine reopened the following year.

Museums

There is a memorial wall to Tutti cadavari; a museum to the local glassware, then a museum of mining and heavy industry. A workshop explains the art of metal forging. Around the two puits (shafts) the site has been landscaped- allowing views from the slag heaps over Charleroi. [1]

References

Notes
    Footnotes
    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "ERIH Entry: Le Bois du Cazier". European Route of Industrial Heritage. 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Emporis Site du Bois du Cazier Accessed 25 January 2015
    3. ↑ Bois du Cazier:8th AUGUST 1956 SITE Accessed 24 January 2015
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Show Caves Bois du Cazier 2014, Accessed 25 January 2015

    External links

    Coordinates: 50°22′54″N 4°22′34″E / 50.3818°N 4.3761°E

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